


Time After Time

by roseforthethorns



Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: A little hurt- more that James is just late, Christmas, Established Relationship, Eventual Fluff, M/M, New Year's Eve, Precious spies, Presents, Q's cats have a cameo, and Q doesn't know where he is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-13 14:57:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12986493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roseforthethorns/pseuds/roseforthethorns
Summary: James has a bit of a reputation for never being on time, but it's Christmas and he's late again. What is Q to do?





	Time After Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lilyrose14](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilyrose14/gifts).



> To lilyrose14: Merry Christmas!!! Enjoy your present
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks to my brilliant beta timetospy. Seriously. I don't really know what I'd do without your help.

_ New Year’s Eve, 2017. 23:45. _

 

James is notoriously late. Q had initially thought it was out of sheer force of will that James couldn’t arrive on time, but after working with him and now living with him, it was partially his nature and partially his desire to always be a cheeky shit. But right now… right now he was later than he’d ever been before.

One week prior, on Christmas Eve, James had been embedded in a foreign terror cell and was going to miss Christmas; so, he and Q had agree that New Year’s Eve would start their Christmas. He’d be home by then, and with the week of mandated leave after a mission, Q would put in for some time off and they’d have a proper holiday in their flat. Nothing but good food, lots of sex, crap telly, and ‘optional clothing’ days.

And then James had gone dark. There had been no warning. One minute Q was talking to him, and the next Q was suddenly staring at a screen with all of James’ equipment not responding.

He’d done this before, and Q was used to James dropping off the grid during missions. Sometimes it was to spite Q, but other times it was because there was no other way to escape his situation. And for the first twenty-four hours, with the clock rolling over to Christmas Day, Q was able to convince himself that everything would be fine. James would come swanning through the door at any second. He was just taking an extra precaution.

And then Christmas came and went.

Q spent the day in his office, thankful he’d brought Turing and Hawking to work with him. While the cats frolicked in the empty cardboard boxes in the corner or slept curled up in Q’s lap or on the sofa against the windows, Q scoured his tech for anything, for the smallest sign that James was alive. He pulled satellites and CCTV cameras, combed through hours of recordings of cars in stopped traffic or people milling about in cafes or shops, all the while searching for James. He kept the shades drawn and didn’t emerge for anything. The skeleton crew in charge of monitoring Q branch had no idea he was there. For the second night in a row, he didn’t sleep.

When the minions who had drawn the short straw for the post-Christmas shift returned on Boxing Day to check on the servers and work through paperwork, they were surprised to find Q still there; Q was forced to emerge from his office to get another box of tea from the break room and wash a few mugs. One of the newest techs, Swann, felt a sudden and deep concern for her boss when she saw him. He had a distinctly rumpled look about him, with dark circles under his eyes, but there was something else too, some expression on his face that made her decide to try and help. Because Q looked like he was on the verge of an emotional breakdown.

Ten minutes later, Swann had located the most reliable number at which to reach Eve Moneypenny, and within half an hour, she swept into Q-branch, went right to Q’s office and, knocking, let herself in.

Turing and Hawking greeted her, meowing and twining around her feet. Q was sat at his desk in another fruitless attempt to find some sign of James. One look at Q, and Eve knew what had happened.

“Q?”

He looked up, barely surprised to see her there. Eve could see the weight of James’ absence in every line on Q’s face and every wrinkle in his clothes. Empty mugs covered most every surface, and there were hardly eaten sandwiches in the garbage, Q’s attempt to eat while unable to stomach food for the worry coursing through his veins.

“You need to go home.”

“I can’t.”

“Q, if he’s gone dark, he won’t be contacting you through Six.”

“If I leave, it means I’ve given up-”

“No, it means you’ve delegated to R and you’ve gone home to rest. You look terrible. You’ll be no use to James if you’re exhausted.”

Q shook his head, but his hands were shaking. Eve could hear the keys clicking beneath the trembling fingers. Slowly, she crossed the room and helped him out of his chair. He didn’t fight her.

“Come on. The minions can help with the cats, and I’ll call R. It’ll be okay.”

***

Time is a funny thing, Q thought as he stared out his window at the brightly lit London night. The days leading to New Year’s Eve had passed in fits and starts, sometimes with the hours melting together in a rush and sometimes crawling at a snail’s pace. He had still been working remotely to try and locate James (he couldn’t help it), but it was almost midnight. James was so late that it bordered on the very thing Q refused to contemplate.

He couldn’t bear to look at the flat, decorated as it was. Everything was tasteful and in keeping with the holidays, though Q had taken great delight in adding little Pagan symbols in with the tree and the lights. There was holly over every window sill and door frame to ward off evil spirits, and on Christmas Eve morning he’d hung mistletoe in a few doorways, already daydreaming about James seeing it and snogging him senseless. His flat looked like a well loved home, but it just felt empty. Now it took everything he had to stay focused on James’ uncanny powers of resurrection.

_ Ten minutes. _

He’d come. He’d be here. He had promised. James wouldn’t miss this.

_ Five minutes. _

Maybe he’d hit traffic, what with the fireworks and having streets cordoned off.

_ Three minutes. _

I’ll kill him. I’ll make him use up one of his infinite lives for putting me through this.

_ Two minutes. _

Please don’t let him be dead. Please let him be okay.

_ One minute. _

“It’s all I want this year,” Q whispered. “Just bring him home.”

The clock rolled over to midnight, and the London sky exploded with color. All over the city people were cheering and turning to kiss their loved ones while Q stared out longingly at the sky.

“Well, if I’d known all you wanted was me, I wouldn’t have wasted the week searching for the perfect gift.”

Q whirled, not believing his ears, half afraid he’d started hallucinating from stress. But no, standing there in a singed suit and sporting an impressive shiner, was James. His suitcase stood by the door, and there was a tastefully wrapped gift in his hands.

Still not sure he could trust his eyes, Q took a step forward; after a whole week of worrying, to have James back scared him almost as much as the thought of losing him forever. “And what time do you call this?” He finally asked, voice steadier than he’d expected.

“Better late than never?” Oh the bastard was smirking, his tone light and playful. Q wasn’t sure if he wanted to punch him or kiss him… but there would be time enough for that later. Q might be furious with James for scaring him, but it wouldn’t do either of them any good to have a row about it now. So Q picked up his gift for James from where it lay beneath the tree and brought it over. He stood just out of James’ reach and held the gift out to him.

“For me? You shouldn’t have.” James took the offered gift and pressed his own box into Q’s hand. Q watched as James unwrapped his and gazed at the brand new watch nestled against black velvet in the box.

“Might help with your punctuality issues,” Q said, as offhand as he could manage.

James’ lip twitched, and he put the watch on, admiring it. “It’s lovely, Q. Does it do anything?”

“It tells the time.”

The look of exasperation and amusement on James’ face melts the fear around Q’s heart a little. “The alarm is rather loud as well, if you know what I mean.”

“I think I do,” James replies, nodding with a smile. “Your turn.”

Q carefully unwraps his present to find the box for James’ mission kit and a letter. Frowning slightly, Q opens the box to find every single piece he had issued James at the start of the mission back in place and in very good condition. He stares for a moment before setting the box aside to look at the letter. It’s handwritten; he’d recognize James’ neat writing anywhere.

_ My Dearest Simon- _

_ I know I cannot apologize enough for the hell I have put you through this week, but it was necessary for me to go dark in order to complete my mission. They were suspicious and had begun to monitor my movements more closely. It was only a matter of time before they discovered my identity and who I worked for. I could not put Six or you in that position. I refuse to compromise you for the sake of a mission or for the sake of England. _

_ As my way of saying sorry, I’ve brought back my entire kit from this mission. I even cleaned the gun already. I’ve also already filed my mission report directly to R, and I’ve sent Mallory my formal resignation from the double-oh program. This was my last mission. It is time for me to step aside and make way for newer agents so I can spend my remaining years with you. _

_ I hope you can forgive me for frightening you. I’m going to make sure that does not happen again. Merry Christmas. _

_ Yours, James. _

“You’re retiring? For me?”

James nodded, watching Q. “I am. Merry Christmas, Simon.”

Q placed the letter on James’ kit and crossed the final distance between them. He pulled James into as tight a hug as he could manage, and when James’ arms slipped around his thin frame, Q felt the tension finally drain out of him. James was home and safe, and bloody hell, he’d just announced his  _ retirement _ .

They stood there holding each other for a long time, well after the fireworks had ended, before Q looked up at James. Their faces were so close, noses almost touching, and there was something new in James’ eyes, an emotion Q knew he felt but couldn’t say. He might never say it, but that was okay. He didn’t need to. Q felt the same way.

“Merry Christmas, James,” Q whispered, as he welcomed the new year in with a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews and comments welcome!


End file.
